Head-to-head competition: It's one of the most captivating parts of the Olympics.
Sure, it can be entertaining to watch a generational talent or a powerhouse team smash the rest of the field. But there's nothing like a good, compelling rivalry, whether between two teams or two individual athletes, to build the hype and deliver the excitement.
Here are eight potential matchups that could become must-see viewing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
When these two teams met at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, it took just nine seconds for three fights to break out on the ice. According to Matthew Tkachuk, these brawls, which were orchestrated in a group chat that also included brother Brady Tkachuk and J.T. Miller, were designed to send to send a message: "It's our time right now."
The U.S. won that game but lost an overtime thriller to Canada in the final. A potential rematch could come in the knockout rounds of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
If they do meet, expect a similar intensity. Just don't expect any players to drop their gloves -- fighting is banned in Olympic play. The fact that NHL players are competing at the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 only will add to the excitement.
SEE MORE: Flashback to Vancouver: USA vs. Canada men's hockey OT final
The U.S. could field its strongest figure skating team in decades at the Milan Cortina Games. To retain its Olympic title in the team event, the Americans' biggest competition likely will come from Japan, as was the case at the 2025 World Team Trophy. The U.S. and Japan also went 1-2 at the 2022 Winter Olympics after medals were reallocated.
The U.S. boasts gold-medal favorites in the men's event (Ilia Malinin) and ice dance (Madison Chock and Evan Bates), while Japan has one of the top pairs teams (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara). The women's segments could be pivotal in deciding the final results, with world champion Alysa Liu and two-time national champion Amber Glenn among the potential U.S. picks and Kaori Sakamoto and Chiba Mone among the potential selections for Japan.
The team event will take place over three days from Feb. 6-8.
A lot can happen between now and Feb. 19, but it's hard not to feel like this matchup is a foregone conclusion. Ever since the first IIHF Women's World Championship was held in 1990, the U.S. and Canada have faced off for gold at every world and Olympic tournament with two exceptions (2006 Winter Olympics, 2019 World Championships).
Canada is the reigning Olympic champion, and the U.S. is the reigning world champion, and both countries remain evenly matched. Stars like Hilary Knight (USA) and Marie Philip-Poulin (Canada) have continued to lead the charge, but a new generation of exciting, young stars are emerging for Team USA.
If the U.S. and Canada reach the gold medal game as expected, it will be their second matchup of the tournament. The two teams also will meet in the group stage on Feb. 10.
SEE MORE: Canada gets revenge on U.S., reclaims women's hockey gold
The U.S. hasn't won individual gold in aerials since 1998, but that didn't stop the Americans from winning the Olympics' first-ever mixed team event four years ago in Beijing. It was no fluke, either -- Team USA has gone two-for-two in winning this event at the world championships since then.
China took silver at the last Olympics and likely will be the United States' biggest rival once again. Led by Qi Guangpu, China had three of the top four men in last season's World Cup standings, as well as the No. 2 woman, Xu Mengtao. Meanwhile, the U.S. has a deep roster of athletes to choose from that includes Chris Lillis, Quinn Dehlinger and newly minted individual world champion Kaila Kuhn -- the trio that won last season's team world title.
The mixed team event will be contested on Feb. 21, a few days after the women's and men's individual competitions.
SEE MORE: USA wins mixed team aerials on Lillis' quin-twisting triple
This could be a historic Olympics for Jordan Stolz, one of the potential breakout stars of the Milan Cortina Games. The Wisconsin native is the gold-medal favorite in three speed skating events (500m, 1000m, 1500m) after winning back-to-back world titles for all three distances in 2023 and 2024, and amassing a yearlong, 18-race winning streak on the World Cup circuit.
One competitor who could spoil the party is Dutch skater Jenning de Boo, who recently emerged as Stolz's primary rival. De Boo, who is four months older than Stolz, won the 500m world title ahead of Stolz last season -- the caveat is that Stolz was still recovering from a lengthy illness -- and is also strong in the 1000m.
Although these two skaters clearly have a lot of respect for each other, they are both driven to win. Their first showdown in Milan will come in the men's 1000m on Feb. 11. The two most recent 500m world champions will then compete in that event on Feb. 14.
SEE MORE: De Boo wins 500m world title; Stolz, McLeod finish 2nd, 3rd
Four years ago, the Olympic final featured a dramatic showdown between Australia's Scotty James and Japan's Ayumu Hirano. Despite being the only rider to land -- or even attempt -- a triple cork in their run, Ayumu needed his third and final run to unseat James for gold.
The triple cork is no longer the differentiator it was before. Several other riders have now landed it in contest runs, including James and two of Ayumu's compatriots: Ruka Hirano (no relation) and Yuto Totsuka.
James and the three Japanese riders make up the current "Big Four" of this event, and they have all won their fair share of contests during this Olympic cycle. Given James' full arsenal of technical tricks and his win rate last season, it's fair to consider him the slight favorite right now as he seeks his first Olympic gold, but a wide range of outcomes are possible for the Milan Cortina 2026 final (Feb. 13), including a Japanese sweep.
SEE MORE: Men's snowboard halfpipe comes down to dramatic finish
American mogul skier Jaelin Kauf is coming off a dominant season. Between moguls and dual moguls, she won eight of the 16 World Cup events she competed in and finished in the top two at 13 straight events. She also swept the World Cup season titles in both disciplines.
The catch? Australia's Jakara Anthony, the reigning Olympic champion, missed most of the season after breaking her collarbone in December. Anthony had been even more dominant the season prior, winning 14 of 16 World Cup events.
Kauf took silver behind Anthony in moguls at the last Olympics. With Anthony's impending return, it'll be hard to pick a clear favorite for Milan Cortina until the World Cup season commences later this year, but Kauf will have two opportunities between moguls (Feb. 11) and dual moguls (Feb. 14) to reverse the duo's results from Beijing.
SEE MORE: Anthony wins gold, Kauf takes silver in women's moguls
After a silver medal at PyeongChang 2018 and a bronze at Beijing 2022, it could finally be Alex Ferreira's turn to stand atop an Olympic podium. He remains one of the top halfpipe skiers in the world, a fact he emphatically proved when he won all seven contests he entered during the 2023-24 season.
There are some wildcards in the field, such as rising star Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand, but Ferreira's most consistent challenger to emerge last season was fellow American Nick Goepper. After winning slopestyle medals at three straight Winter Olympics, the Indiana native briefly retired, then announced he was making a comeback and switching to halfpipe. A victory at X Games cemented Goepper's status as a bona fide gold medal contender for Milan Cortina in his new event.
The men's freeski halfpipe final will take place on Feb. 20.